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Bawaslu, KPU on guard for overseas voting amid potential glitches, foul play
Warning that the balloting process overseas was vulnerable to disruptions and foul play, the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has been intensifying its communication with its representatives and poll organizers abroad to anticipate any irregularities that may distort the election outcome.
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A voter inserts a ballot paper into a ballot box during a voting simulation exercise in Denpasar, Bali, on Jan. 28, 2024. The simulation was intended to help poll administrators and voters understand what to do on voting day on Feb. 14, 2024. (Antara/Nyoman Hendra Wibowo)
Warning that the overseas balloting process is vulnerable to disruptions and foul play, the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) has been intensifying its communication with its representatives and poll organizers abroad to anticipate any irregularities that may distort the election outcome.
The series of balloting in polling stations overseas started this week, with Indonesians residing in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City being the first to cast their vote on Monday. Polling stations in 126 other cities across the globe will open for a day from Tuesday to Feb. 14, the day voters in Indonesia will cast their ballots.
Yet reports of alleged duplicate names on the voter roll in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, remain unresolved to date, while recent weeks have seen glitches ranging from unwarranted early distribution of ballots to sudden changes in balloting methods.
On Monday, Bawaslu commissioner Herwyn Malonda said his office had identified potential disruptions, including potential mismatches between the number of ballot papers available and the number of voters, broken ballot papers and potential glitches when poll workers verified the identities of voters who opted for mail balloting.
Fearing potential foul play or electoral fraud that could stem from such a disruption, Bawaslu has been informing overseas Election Supervisory Committees (Panwaslu) to pay extra attention to these issues.
“Countries that are most vulnerable are those with larger Indonesian populations and with past records of violations,” Herwyn added. “So we have been focusing more on these countries. [...] We have instructed the Panwaslu there to start doing preventive measures.”
Some of the countries and cities in question include Malaysia, Pakistan, Qatar, Afghanistan and Melbourne in Australia.
